{"id":44399,"date":"2017-02-06T23:20:28","date_gmt":"2017-02-07T03:20:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/totfc.net\/?p=44399"},"modified":"2020-07-29T23:20:41","modified_gmt":"2020-07-30T03:20:41","slug":"greetings-from-chokelanta-georgia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/totfc.net\/?p=44399","title":{"rendered":"Greetings from Chokelanta, Georgia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Where choking isn\u2019t just commonplace, it\u2019s a way of life.<\/span><\/p>\n

I had a sinking feeling in my stomach when the Falcons failed to even secure a field goal, after a game-defining Julio Jones catch<\/a> followed immediately by some negative plays, taking them out of field goal range and resulting in a punt.<\/span><\/p>\n

The sinking feeling sunk even more when Julian Edleman made the catch of the game<\/a>, where he managed to secure the ball amidst a deflection off of a hand and a leg while surrounded by and getting pelted by three Atlanta players while simultaneously managing to keep the ball from hitting the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n

The feeling completely sunk when the Patriots scored the game-tying touchdown and subsequent two-point conversion.<\/span><\/p>\n

And I threw the in the towel as soon as the coin flip landed heads and the Patriots would start the first overtime in Superb Owl history with possession of the ball.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Anyone who watches a ton of sports, see patterns in the rhythm, and\/or narrative of sports games.\u00a0 Fans watching on television, those in attendance, and even the players and coaches alike.\u00a0 Inherently, if games were decided on paper, they would never have to be played in the venues, which often leads to the adage of \u201cthat\u2019s why the games are played,\u201d because spectators really don\u2019t know why might happen.\u00a0 That\u2019s the allure of upsets, because the unexpected has happened.\u00a0 But the thing is, once the game is under way, and rhythms and momentums are established, sometimes things become predictable, and things can become expected.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the case of Superb Owl Lee, when the Falcons suddenly became offensively inept in the second half of the game, the writing showed up on the wall, that if there was going to be any hope of victory, it was going to have to be held onto, instead of reached for and taken.<\/span><\/p>\n

But because the Falcons are a team from Atlanta, and Atlanta knows nothing but defeat, the Falcons did only what was possible, based on where they came from, and the New England Patriots are once again Super Bowl champions, and yet another Atlanta team falls short of a championship, further cementing the legacy that Atlanta is pretty much the worst sporting town in the country and is on Cleveland-level of being a laughing stock.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll admit that in spite of the defeatist expectations and the pessimism going into Superb Owl Lee, I genuinely felt in my heart that the Falcons had a chance.\u00a0 Despite the false bravado that defeat was inevitable, and that Tom Brady was god-incarnate, I really did want the Falcons to win. Not just the Falcons, but the city of Atlanta, to possibly taste the joy of victory.\u00a0 I have no beef with the Patriots, but this time, I wanted to see them lose, and give way to the ascension of Atlanta.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the Falcons scored first, I thought to myself that \u201cit\u2019s just one score, New England will answer it right away.\u201d\u00a0 It didn\u2019t happen, and I plead guilty to allowing a modicum of hope to grow in spite of myself.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the Falcons went up 14-0 on Ryan-to-Hooper, I scrunched my brow at the perplexity of why New England wasn\u2019t playing better.\u00a0 However, this is where the seed of concern was sown that not only were the Pats digging their own grave by allowing Atlanta to get up two scores, but Atlanta was creating a higher fall from grace if they were to inevitably let the lead slip away.<\/span><\/p>\n

But when Tom Brady threw a pick-six to Robert Alford and the Falcons jumped up 21-0, I began to think in my head \u201cis this really happening?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I admit, when the game went into halftime with the score 21-3, I felt pretty okay.\u00a0 Sure, I knew that there was still an entire half of football yet to be played, but I actually allowed myself to feel some confidence, and actually look towards the future, of words I\u2019d say, a post I\u2019d write and feelings I\u2019d feel, if and when an Atlanta team would actually capture a championship.<\/span><\/p>\n

During a lull between Lady Gaga and the start of the second half, I did something stupid, and I checked my phone.\u00a0 Between text messages and social media, I realized that other people, less paranoid and probably less sports-worldly than I, were pretty much phoning it in, and preemptively anointing the Atlanta Falcons as champions.<\/span><\/p>\n

This, is behavior that I do not condone, do not participate in (unless feebly attempting to reverse jinx the team I want to lose), and ultimately abhor greatly.\u00a0 Absolutely nothing is worse than celebrating early, except maybe the American political climate.\u00a0 Seriously, the Worst Things Ever list would look like:<\/span><\/p>\n